Department of Psychology, Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2022 Jan;63(1):19-33. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13444. Epub 2021 May 26.
Callous-unemotional (CU) behaviors are important for identifying severe patterns of conduct problems (CP). One major fiber tract implicated in the development of CP is the uncinate fasciculus (UF), which connects amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). The goals of the current study were to (a) explore differences in the white matter microstructure in the UF and other major fiber tracks between young typically developing (TD) children and those with a disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) and (b) explore, within the DBD group, whether individual differences in these white matter tracts relate to co-occurring CP and CU behaviors.
Participants included 198 young children (69% boys, M = 5.66 years; 80% Latinx; 48.5% TD). CU behaviors and CP were measured via a combination of teacher/parent ratings. Non-invasive diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was used to measure fractional anisotropy (FA), an indirect indicator of white matter properties.
Relative to TD children, children in the DBD group had reduced FA on four out of the five fiber tracks we examined (except for cingulum and right ILF), even after accounting for whole brain FA, sex, movement, parental income, and IQ. Within the DBD group, no associations were found between CP and reduced white matter integrity across any of the fiber tracks examined. However, we found that even after accounting for CP, ADHD symptomology, and a host of covariates (whole brain FA, sex, movement, parental income, and IQ), CU behaviors were independently related to reduced FA in bilateral UF and left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) in the DBD group, but this was not the case for TD children.
Alterations in the white matter microstructure within bilateral UF and left IFOF may be biomarkers of CU behaviors, even in very young children.
冷酷无情（CU）行为对于识别严重的行为问题（CP）模式很重要。与 CP 的发展有关的一个主要纤维束是连合束（UF），它连接杏仁核和眶额皮层（OFC）。本研究的目的是：（a）探索在 UF 和其他主要纤维束的白质微观结构在年轻的典型发育（TD）儿童和具有破坏性行为障碍（DBD）的儿童之间的差异；（b）在 DBD 组内，探索这些白质束的个体差异是否与共同发生的 CP 和 CU 行为有关。
参与者包括 198 名幼儿（69%为男孩，M = 5.66 岁；80%为拉丁裔；48.5%为 TD）。CU 行为和 CP 通过教师/家长的综合评分进行测量。非侵入性扩散加权成像（DWI）用于测量各向异性分数（FA），这是白质性质的间接指标。
与 TD 儿童相比，DBD 组的儿童在我们检查的五条纤维束中有四条的 FA 降低（除了胼胝体和右侧 ILF），即使考虑到整个大脑的 FA、性别、运动、父母收入和 IQ。在 DBD 组中，CP 与任何检查的纤维束的白质完整性降低之间均无关联。然而，我们发现，即使考虑到 CP、ADHD 症状和许多协变量（整个大脑的 FA、性别、运动、父母收入和 IQ），CU 行为与 DBD 组双侧 UF 和左侧下额枕束（IFOF）的 FA 降低仍存在独立关系，但在 TD 儿童中则不然。
双侧 UF 和左侧 IFOF 的白质微观结构的改变可能是 CU 行为的生物标志物，即使在非常年幼的儿童中也是如此。
